Of course that is true. If it were only for that I’d stick to a gaiwan. But having tea is a wholesome experience and beautiful teaware, maybe even paired with historical relevance, adds a lot to the pleasure, for me at least.

I was more sceptical in the past of certain attributes of supposedly famous clays, but recently came across quite a few examples of why - if you find the right pot - clay can change everything!

I think I change what I use for preparation and drinking because I like to handle various types and sizes of teaware. Sometimes I want to hold delicate items; sometimes I prefer heavier pieces in my hands. Sometimes a small amount of tea seems to tease my tastebuds while other times tiny tastes seem like treasures to savor. What's nice is that this is not serious business, just variation.

My younger sister seems to worry about how to make her coffee. She fears situations like the use of a French press one morning when a drip method should have been used. I don't want to be like that.

I can’t tell if you are joking. Tea should be poured like wine. We don’t want to bruise the tea or display ostentation in or movements. Watching a person pour is one of the best estimates of the maturity of a person’s practice.

Nope not joking, just trying to understand what you’re trying to communicate. I don’t drink alcohol but I just watched a video of how to pour wine and it just seemed like a normal pour, no special technique.

Are you saying don’t shake the pot to get the last few drops of tea out of the pot because that’ll agitate the leaves?

I’ve seen people pour water into a teapot from a high height to allow the water to aerate or that was something along the lines of their reasoning. And that’s the reasoning for having a kettle with a longer spout too.

I’ve seen people pour water into a teapot from a high height to allow the water to aerate or that was something along the lines of their reasoning. And that’s the reasoning for having a kettle with a longer spout too.

Nope not joking, just trying to understand what you’re trying to communicate. I don’t drink alcohol but I just watched a video of how to pour wine and it just seemed like a normal pour, no special technique.

Are you saying don’t shake the pot to get the last few drops of tea out of the pot because that’ll agitate the leaves?

I’ve seen people pour water into a teapot from a high height to allow the water to aerate or that was something along the lines of their reasoning. And that’s the reasoning for having a kettle with a longer spout too.

Thank you for clarifying.

I am speaking only of pouring tea. There are sometimes reasons for a vigorous pour of water into the tea vessel, but these are mostly a function of intention.

I think a normal pouring height does several things:

* It does not display an ostentatious attitude that places the preparer before the tea: preparer and tea are coequal.

* It is polite to guests who may not want to be splashed with tea if they are sitting close.

* It does not aerate the tea, changing its texture and accelerate oxidation in the cup. I had a sencha some years ago that would change color, presumably from oxidation, if it wasn’t consumed quickly enough (less than 5-10 minutes in a yunomi). Increasing the amount of surface area the tea has to oxygen before it passes the lips, has a bad affect on the beverage.

The first two points may not matter to anyone else but me, since they are matters of mindfulness and etiquette, but the third point is functional: fresh tea exposed to too much oxygen, in this case through vigorous agitation during pouring, rapidly begins to change the tea. This is not a good thing, in my opinion.

One might make comparisons trying to notice a difference; however, I must ask, "Does air on the surface of hot water get into the water?"

It reminds me when I criticized people saying boiling water takes oxygen out of the water. I argued then water boiling too long could become hydrogen. I don't think this happens, and I don't think water can become more than one part oxygen to two parts hydrogen. If lifting lids while pouring adds flavor, perhaps another explanation.....
Cheers

When people talk about boiling off the oxygen from the water, it does not refer to the O in H2O, but to the gas dissolved in the water (similar to how CO2 is dissolved in a sparkling water). The same kind of oxygen that fishes breathe. When a pond gets too warm in the summer the water looses the capacity to hold enough oxygen and the fishes die.

I can’t tell if you are joking. Tea should be poured like wine. We don’t want to bruise the tea or display ostentation in or movements. Watching a person pour is one of the best estimates of the maturity of a person’s practice.

I can think of one possible circumstance where a pour from a height might be appropriate: For the first round of brew of an aged rolled oolong. Those are usually very tight and need some convincing to unfurl. One might use longer steeping instead, but depending on the tea that does not always work.

I can’t tell if you are joking. Tea should be poured like wine. We don’t want to bruise the tea or display ostentation in or movements. Watching a person pour is one of the best estimates of the maturity of a person’s practice.

I can think of one possible circumstance where a pour from a height might be appropriate: For the first round of brew of an aged rolled oolong. Those are usually very tight and need some convincing to unfurl. One might use longer steeping instead, but depending on the tea that does not always work.

When people talk about boiling off the oxygen from the water, it does not refer to the O in H2O, but to the gas dissolved in the water (similar to how CO2 is dissolved in a sparkling water). The same kind of oxygen that fishes breathe. When a pond gets too warm in the summer the water looses the capacity to hold enough oxygen and the fishes die.

Thank you. Now I have learned something which is lot a better than my attempts to figure things out.